My best travel tip is Don't Rush. The journey is part of your travel experience - your travel story - and if you hurry to your destination without stopping to smell the flowers along the way, you will miss out on a lot of that story.

The best travel tip ever was given to me years ago, so long ago that I don't even remember who said it to me, "Do as the locals do". It's the one thing that's helped me the most when in drastically unfamiliar places and countries where language has also been a problem. Anything from basic traffic rules to local etiquette, buying a train/tube/metro ticket to hailing a taxi, from shopping to finding the best places to have a meal. It's the one tip that I never forget to pass forward when asked.

I was surprised to see that this answer hadn't been said already, but for me it's rolling my clothes tightly. Saves room and then if I've rolled it tight enough, they aren't wrinkled. And if they are, almost every hotel now has an iron. I'll also frequent stuff socks and underwear and such in my shoes or any other nooks and crannies to save room.

Get an app like CityMaps2Go which lets you download offline maps and travel guides for a city. It uses your phone's GPS to tell you your location, so no data required. It's handier than a paper map, and while it's fun to wander around a city and get lost, you need to get back to your hotel/hostel/Airbnb eventually.

Create a packing list on your phone. I check and recheck mine before leaving a place and as a result, I've never lost anything on all my trips.

When you book a flight, use SeatGuru to find an exit-aisle seat or one that's behind a bulkhead. Those often have extra legroom and depending on the airline, might not cost anything extra.

If you forget shaving cream, conditioner is a pretty good alternative.

Buy an portable battery charger. They're cheap and can be a life safer if you're not near an outlet.

If you're from the US, download Google Hangouts or a similar app that lets you call land and mobile numbers in the US and Canada for free.

Sign up for a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees. My go-to card is the Chase Sapphired Preferred.

To keep your belongings safe from pickpockets, get an anti-theft backpack or bag, such as one from Pacsafe.

Wear comfortable walking shoes. In Europe, I find myself walking 7-10 miles on most days.

Wherever you're going start conversations with local people. Basic English is spoken widely all over the world, so it’s easier to communicate with them than you might think, especially when you combine hand gestures and body language. Learn from those who live in the country you’re visiting.It can be as easy as learning there language,Learn some few words,E.g.(Swahili Language)- Habari Rafiki(Hello Friend),Jambo(Hi),Asante Sana(Thank you very Much).Cheers!!!

Use Airbnb & HomeAway instead of hotels. You be staying in the comfort of someone's home often at a far cheaper price and sometimes you'll strike gold. My first three nights on Oahu were with a lovely couple, one of whom was a professional chef who had cooked for Obama, Bon Jovi, & many other celebrities. She actually cooked an incredible meal for me my first night. Shrimp, steak, broccoli gratin, dessert and all the wine & beer I wanted plus travel tips from locals. Are you kidding me? For $60 a night?

To return the favor, I took them out to eat on the third night at a restaurant of her choosing, Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar. OMG! Best meal I had had in six months. Regretfully,Salt has now closed, but I have chef friends for life.

Disposable Clothing - Before I travel, I go to a local flea market or discount store and buy clothes for my trips (mostly socks, underwear, shirts and shorts, etc.). Really inexpensive. I wear everything once, then toss them away or leave behind. Every day, I' wear a clean set of clothes. As the days pass, my suit case or carry on, gets lighter. It also gets roomier, which gives me the space I need in case I buy something to bring back. And the best part is - I'm not lugging around a bunch of dirty clothes and there's very little laundry to do upon my return.

Start at least one of your tour days early - sunrise ,dawn and walk the city you are visiting and watch it wake up . As a Jerusalem based private tour guide I offer an early morning tour that I must admit not many take up as the hotel breakfasts are good and people feel like sleeping in on their holidays!!

That's why I wrote in my first sentence :" start ..at least one of your days ".

I can only say that to visit the Old City of Jerusalem in the early morning is like visiting a Tripadvisor 1st ranked restaurant and tasting its great delicacies as a VIP.No tourists ,beautiful light , quiet moments at all the religious sites , good coffee , time to reflect...

Comments (1)

When my husband and I travel sans child, we love to get out early for a quiet coffee and roll/pastry together...very relaxing and we get to explore a new place while many are still sleeping in.
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I traveled for a year in 2006-7 with my wife. We went to eastern Europe, SE Asia and South America. We came up with this list.

Top traveler tips:

1 - Always ask for a discount, even if the price seems non-negotiable.

2 - Things to always keep on you: toilet paper, snacks, camera and a few layers.

3 - When purchasing any kind of transportation/tour/travel activity, ask lots of questions to be sure you know what you’re getting. And don’t get upset when what you receive differs from what they told you.

4 - Always check your bed/sheets/room/shower before agreeing to stay in a hostel.

5 - When buying bus tickets, check other companies for different prices, reserve seats on the opposite side of the sun and away from the bathroom, and watch your luggage get loaded and during stops.

6 - In the third world, if a restaurant’s ambiance is pleasing then the food is probably not that good and normally more expensive. Fluorescent lighting, plastic chairs and locals normally means quality food.

7 - When a taxi driver tells you a price, always half it and work up from there.

If you are time-poor like me, my best travel tip would be "plan ahead". The more research and planning you do beforehand, the more you can maximise your time and experience when you are there. By that i dont mean you have to plan an hourly itinerary, but just to have a good knowledge of the good places to go, eat and see at each location so you dont just do the typical touristy things (not to say touristy things arent worth your time as some are must-do's too). Also it will help you save money because you can search for deals on flights, hotels and restaurants.

We have created a web-based trip planning tool (www.pebblar.com) to make trip planning easier (from roadmapping, idea and research notes collation to generating a print-able itinerary). I use it for all of my trips now. If you are a "planner" and have been using excel/notepad/google map/email, give us a try! we are keen to hear what you think! See screenshots of pebblar below: